


Flashover

by Domoz (orphan_account)



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-22 22:51:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6096531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Domoz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chandra goes back to Kaladesh, and doesn't intend to stay very long. At least not at first.  (THIS FIC IS DEAD JIM)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flashover

Pinestraw crunched under Chandra’s boots as she picked her way through the undergrowth of the forests of Kaladesh. There wasn’t much - most of the ground was covered by spicy-smelling pine straw, which choked out the growth of most other plants.

She had, of course, managed to stumble into the rare place where that _wasn’t_ the case and had gotten herself caught up in a bush covered with spikes.

  
  


Chandra did not want to be here.

  
  


She grumbled and kicked at another spiky plant. It was all too tempting to light it on fire, but the forest seemed kind of dry, and she was pretty sure there were a couple of villages nearby that wouldn’t appreciate the wildfire that it would inevitably cause.

  
  


Instead, she just mumbled to herself in a parody of Gideon’s voice.

“Go search other planes for signs of corruption,” she said, pulling another thorn from her leg. “Yes, even there. _Ugh._ Stupid. Why do I listen to him?”

  
  


She was pretty sure that the only dangers she would find here would be the same ones there had always been - an overbearing government and people out for her head. After what she had been through, she might even have been tempted to let it _be_ destroyed if she found some sort of looming terror here.

  
  


But Gideon, Jace, and Nissa had asked her to check. Chandra had pouted about it, but she had agreed; now she was here in the woods trying not to blow up these _stupid bushes._

  
  


Eventually, she worked her way free and walked through the forest. She almost wished one of the beasts that she knew lived around here would show up and threaten her. At least it would give her an excuse to burn something up, if not something satisfying to punch.

  
  


Instead, Chandra found herself out of the woods and on a proper dirt road. The sight that greeted her was not a big horned beast like she had wanted, but instead the shining spires of the city of Ghirapur.

  
  


It was beautiful, she had to admit, even if she would rather see it burning to the ground.

  
  


She was going to walk into the city, ask if anyone had seen any world ending terrors, and then leave. That was more than she owed anyone who was left here.

  
  


If some soldier or, fire forbid, good old Captain Baral somehow crossed her path, she wouldn’t be above getting a little revenge.

A thopter buzzed by overhead, on its way towards the city. Chandra watched it for a moment, then kicked up a cloud of dirt as she started to follow, grumbling all the way.

  
  


-

Ghirapur was the same as it had ever been, and Chandra couldn’t decide if that was surprising or not. Everything was was still made out of those overly ornate metal lattices that were worked together to form complicated-looking machines. Buildings shifted at a moment’s notice to let a thopter land or to reveal some automaton that would walk out into the streets on some errand.

Once, when she had been a child, Chandra had watched all this with wonder, then later frustration; now, it just made her yearn for the simple stone walls of Keral Keep.

  
  


Her return was dampened even more by the way people looked at her. It seemed like chainmail and gauntlets weren’t in fashion this season. She stood out like a sore thumb - like someone who was going to cause trouble - and people avoided her because of it.

  
  


To be fair, she was _definitely_ someone who would cause trouble. In fact she looked for it as she stalked through the streets, but it seemed to be conspicuously absent from she wanted it to be.  

  
  


Chandra clenched her fists tightly to hide the light that was starting to burn in her fists. Pyromancy would get her in _real_ trouble, though with the way this day had been going, she was beginning to think that it would be worth it for a little stress relief.

  
  


Well, she could burn things down all she wanted without the worry of being arrested once she was back on Regatha. All she had to do here was flag someone down, ask if they had seen anything with tentacles, and then go on her way. Whatever. Easy enough.

  
  


Chandra stopped and looked up at the entrance to a tea shop.

  
  


Okay, maybe she’d ask the person behind the counter and get some food while she was at it. It _had_ been a long time since she’d gotten to eat a samosa…

  
  


A little bell chimed as she opened the door. The inside was surprisingly simple compared to the exterior. There was a minimum of filigree and fretwork on the furniture, which Chandra appreciated.

  
  


Someone in a back room called out, “Be with you in a minute!”

Chandra made her way over to the counter, leaning over the glass to looked at the pastries. So many of them were things she had loved as a child and hadn’t eaten in years.

  
  


They had little prices written out on cards next to them, and it occurred to Chandra that what little money she had, she had left in her room on Keral Keep, and that it probably wouldn’t be worth anything here anyways.

  
  


Her stomach growled. This was just her luck, wasn’t it?

  
  


A young woman ducked through a curtain to stand behind the counter.

“Sorry about the wait,” she said. “What can I get you?”

  
  


Chandra licked her lips and tried not to press her nose against the glass.

“Nothing. I’m just looking.”

  
  


Behind her, the bell rang again. The girl looked around nervously and said, “Um… Well, you can’t loiter around here if you’re not going to buy anything. We have other customers.”

  
  


Chandra bit her lip, stood up, and willed herself not to melt the counter with her hands.

“I can just stand here and look,” she said. “I’m not in anyone’s way.”

  
  


The clerk frowned, but before she could say anything another woman - a much, much older one - walked up to the counter. She gave Chandra a quizzical look - one that lasted for much longer than it rightly should have.

  
  


Then she said, “No need for that. I’ll treat her to some tea, if that’s alright with you, dear.”

  
  


Her voice seemed familiar and Chandra stared right back at her, trying to place it.

  
  


The young woman behind the counter bobbed her head.

“Same as usual, in the back room?”

  
  


The elderly woman nodded and started making her way around the counter to another door covered with another curtain.

“I hope you don’t mind, Chandra dear. I just thought it would be a nice chance to catch up.”

  
  


At that moment, Chandra recognized the voice. She was much, much older than when Chandra had last seen her, but the woman she was now following into the back room of the tea shop was Mrs. Pashri.

  
  


Mrs. Pashri, who had been at her execution. Mrs. Pashri, old friend of the Nalaars. She still had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, all these years later.

  
  


“I… guess catching up would be nice,” she found herself saying, “as long as you buy me some of those sweets.”

  
  


-

  
  


The tea was Chai, which Chandra ignored in favor of the many desserts that Mrs. Pashri was treating her to. The old woman smiled as Chandra filled her plate up with pastries.

  
  


“You know,” said Mrs. Pashri, “I had always wondered if that lightshow you put on at the end there was a cover for your escape. I suppose now I know.”

  
  


Chandra coughed, but did what she thought was a very good job at making it seem like it was just food going down the wrong way.

  
  


“Well, you know,” she said, “us Nalaars are very clever.”

  
  


It almost sounded strange to call herself a Nalaar after all these years, but Mrs. Pashri nodded in approval.

  
  


“That you are.”

  
  


Then Mrs. Pashri sighed. “Things really did slow down, after what happened to your parents. They were such a big part of our efforts, but people were rightfully upset about what happened to them, too.”

  
  


Chandra frowned. “Things? What things?”

  
  


Mrs. Pashri looked around, like she was expecting someone to be waiting at the door or the window, but when she saw nothing she leaned in. “Revolution things. I take it you haven't really been around much, have you?”

  
  


Chandra shook her head, Mrs. Pashri leaned back and took a sip of tea. “Well, I suppose I can’t blame you after what happened. Your father wasn’t even given a proper funeral, and your mother was locked up in the highest security prison they have and forced to work on whatever project they want her to. I wouldn’t want to come back either.”

  
  


Chandra stared at her for a long moment.

  
  


Had she heard that right?

“She’s _locked up_? As in captured? As in _still alive_ somewhere?”

  
  


She could feel the heat as the ends of her hair started to catch fire. Mrs. Pashri’s expression had shifted from sadness to alarm.

  
  


“In one of the prison towers in the High District. I’m so sorry, I thought that you knew.”

  
  


Chandra clenched her fists. No reason to try and not catch things on fire _now,_ not that she could think of. Tea time was over. Now she was on a warpath.

  
  


Mrs. Pashri held up her hands.

“Now, hold on,” she said, “don’t do anything rash.”

  
  


That was the entirely wrong thing to say to keep Chandra from doing anything rash. The tea in the cup Chandra had left on the table was starting to boil, and the edge of the table was getting a nice crust of charcoal simply from her standing next to it.

  
“Which tower? Which _room?”_

  
  


Mrs. Pashri scooted back in her chair, sweating from the heat. “We don’t know. They move her around. But if you wait we can find out, and we can help you.”

  
  


Chandra took a deep breath, squashing back down the anger and the fire as best as she could. That would just make it all the hotter, later.

  
  


“We’re having a sort of a meeting tonight, and we can get more information there. If you’d work with us, we’ll all have a better chance at getting your mother free.”

  
  


Mrs. Pashri held out a hand for Chandra to shake, and, after a moment of hesitation, she took it.

  
  


Mrs. Pashri nodded, looking relieved. “You may well be the best shot this revolution has had in twenty years.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure you all know the wonders of Snoot by now. Well thank them! Thank them for all the beta'ing they have done!


End file.
